The Mayor’s Innovation Competition attracts a large number of participants
This year, the Mayor of Espoo’s Innovation Competition has been a success in terms of the number of participants. The competition attracted 57 applications. The large number of participants is indicative of Espoo’s positive attitude towards development and the city’s desire to continuously improve its operations in a resident-oriented way. The Innovation Competition sought innovations that have improved the city’s services or practices. In addition to city employees, Espoo-based companies were also invited to participate. The awards will be presented in October.
This year, the number of participants in the Mayor’s Innovation Competition is higher than in recent years. The competition attracted a total of 57 applications, 52 of which came from the city’s work communities and five from companies. The competition is open to all city employees and companies registered in Espoo.
There are two categories in the competition: Innovations, i.e. reforms that have already demonstrated their impact, and Potential Innovations that may still be at the idea stage. About 60% of the participants submitted applications for the Innovations series and 40% for the Potential Innovations series.
“It is wonderful to see that so many people have taken part in the Innovation Competition this year. It reflects the continued desire of our staff and the Espoo community as a whole to improve the city and our practices. Innovation activities are one of the cornerstones of Espoo’s success,” says Jukka Mäkelä, Mayor of Espoo.
The Mayor’s Innovation Competition has been organised since 2012. The competition is held in cooperation with Excellence Finland, which will provide an external assessment of the applications and select the finalists in the autumn. After that, a panel of experts representing the city’s different sectors will assess the applications from Espoo’s perspective. The city management will make the final decision on the winners based on the panel’s recommendations. The winners of the Mayor’s Innovation Competition will receive their prizes on 23 October 2024.
The best innovations will have the chance to advance to Excellence Finland’s national Quality Innovation of the Year competition, whose winners will go on to the international Quality Innovation Award competition. Espoo’s innovations have also been very successful in the national competition in recent years.